Today in the News: Belgium OKs euthanasia for children

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MPNnow

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Posted Feb. 13, 2014 at 8:00 PM

Posted Feb. 13, 2014 at 8:00 PM

News to know

Belgian lawmakers today approved a bill that gives minors the right to euthanasia, CNN reported. The country passed a euthanasia bill for adults in 2002, and now terminally ill minors will be included. King Philippe needs to sign off on the bill for it to become law, but he is expected to do so. Minors will have to understand what euthanasia is and sign off on it, and their parents or guardians must as well.

Quote of note

"At the moment, they are doing very well and are keeping each other company, but if there are some genetically more valuable giraffes in the program that need the space, we have to decide what to do with him." - Zoologist Jesper Mohring-Jensen, talking about a male giraffe at Jyllands Park Zoo in Denmark that also could decide to kill a healthy giraffe. Coincidentally, this male is called Marius, which was the name of the giraffe killed by the Copenhagen Zoo.